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"Who is it?" Eve called out

"I’m safe, I promise"

Eve kept the chain on, but unlocked the series of dead bolts She pulled the door open and peeked out the opening The woman on her doorstep was so beautiful, she had to blink a few times to process it

"Hi," her visitor said with a friendly srip on the doorknob tightened Holy shit

Lightning quick, she freed the chain and yanked the original Eve inside She glanced up and down the hallway, then sla around, she faced Alec’s mom with her back pressed to the door

She sed hard "Hi"

"You’re just as beautiful as I iined you would be" Alec’s mother said with a warm smile She approached Eve with areline"

"It’s a p-pleasure toin her mind

Satan wanted this woive up Gadara for her Why? And how had he known she would soon be within reach?

"I would like it if you’d callback to study her

They were of a height and similarly colored, but the biblical Eve was more exotic, with alure

She wore a simple linen dress that looked to be handmade, and she appeared to be somewhere in her midforties, which certainly could not be the case She definitely didn’t look old enough to be Alec and Reed’sover the fact that theroom

"What a lovely place you have" I back to take in the vaulted ceilings "Cain says you’re an interior designer"

"Yes" Eve followed after her "Would you like a drink? I have water and tea Soda, too, if you like that sort of thing"

Eve didn’t knohether the wohost or real Did she eat and drink? Sleep?

"What are you having?" I condensation onto the coffee table

"Diet Dr Pepper"

"Diet?" Ima smiled over her shoulder "You don’t need to diet"

"Yeah The whole eous just the way you are"

"Thank you" Eve passed her on the way to the kitchen She hit the light switch on the wall and grabbed a cup froht of the necklace felt like a yoke around her neck

Alec’s mother pulled out a bar stool and sat at the kitchen island "I’ with the cup in hand, Eve sighed and offered a rueful s used to ical"

"Didn’t Cain tell you I’rin that accompanied the question had a touch ofthe Bible Is there anything in particular that you’re researching?"

For aof the ice maker prevented speech Then, Eve pulled a can of soda out of the fridge and turned to face I whether she should talk about the whole Garden of Eden, apple, Satan incident so soon after ure in the tale, but tioing through right now? And how long could the priest be a ed?

Eve set the glass in front of Alec’sGenesis, actually"

"Don’t believe everything you read" Ilass She sat with spine straight and shoulders back, elegant and delicate Her hair was a deep chestnut curtain that fell to the seat cushion There was a fine cluster of silver strands at her right temple, almost too faint to be noticed

"Really?" Eve set her elbow on the island and rested her chin in her hand "What shouldn’t I believe?"

"Well, you won’t find it in that version you have there, but that ridiculous story aboutthe missionary position? Ridiculous He’s a et it and the less work he has to put into it, the more he enjoys it Lilith spread that tale because she’s bitter"

Eve bit back a shtened abruptly

"Stay here’ she said, rounding the back of I happens, run to one of the roorip on her biceps stopped her

"Unless you’re expecting someone’ Ima said, "it’s probably Adaain, louder and more insistent

"Isha?" a masculine voice called

"Isha?" Eve repeated